fragility of memory (strength of heart)
by perfectlyrose
Summary: The memory is a fragile thing, easy to break bits or lose them. Rose and the Doctor find this out after an adventure gone wrong. (Fem!Eight x Rose UA) Part One of the "memories lost, love found" series


Part One of the _memories lost, love found_ series

* * *

Rose's first thought upon waking up to a strange woman's face looming above her was something along the lines of _oh my god, she's gorgeous_ , followed closely by _what am I doing on the floor_ and _who is she_?

"Ah, you're awake. I was starting to worry." The woman's voice rolled over her like a velvet caress, soft as the fingers that were gently testing the edges of what felt like a wound around her temple.

"Feels like someone hit me with a frying pan," Rose muttered, trying to sit up. She immediately regretted it as the pain in her head intensified.

"No, no, no, stay still, Rose. I haven't quite figured out the extent of this injury yet and moving is not advisable."

"Figured that out on my own, thanks," she snarked. "And who are you then, some kind of doctor?"

The woman's blue eyes flashed with something like exasperation and fondness as she shook her head. "Very funny, Rose. Never heard that one before."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about? That was a serious question." She moved to try and bat the woman's hands away from her face. "Who are you and why do you seem to know who I am?"

The woman pulled back, eyebrows drawing together as she stared down at her. "This isn't the time for a joke at my expense, not when you actually have a head wound."

Rose wished that glaring while flat on her back was more effective but she was not risking moving again just to have an argument. "I'm not joking. I have no clue who the hell you are."

The woman's face paled. "You're sure?"

Rose looked at her closely, taking in the blue eyes bright with worry and deeper than any ocean she'd ever seen, taking in the mussed chestnut curls that fell just past her shoulders. She stared at the woman's delicate features, the slope of her nose and the delicate bow of her lips but nothing clicked. "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

She nodded mutely.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, voice gentle now in the face of the woman's obvious distress.

"I'm the Doctor and I'm your best friend."

"What kind of a name is 'the Doctor?'"

"An accurate one. Can I get back to treating your head wound, now? We can figure out the amnesia once you're not bleeding all over my ship."

"Ship?"

"Yes, ship. We'll talk about it later, now, may I?" The Doctor gestured towards her head.

"Yeah, go for it," Rose said with a sigh, shutting her eyes as the Doctor reached for her face again.

"Just so you know, I'm going to tease you mercilessly about forgetting me once you know who I am again," she said.

"Now that doesn't seem very nice." She looked up at the Doctor as she removed her hands from Rose's face and started digging in the inside pocket of her velvet coat. She wasn't entirely sure how it hadn't registered that the other woman was wearing a velvet coat before but it had not struck her as odd until this moment.

"Ah, but you'll remember eventually that I have a tendency to misplace memories occasionally. There was an incident about a year ago where I forgot who you were for a time and you've ribbed me about it ever since." She grinned at Rose. "I'll simply be getting my payback."

Rose smiled back. "Turnabout's fair play, then?"

"Oh, absolutely." She pulled some sort of tool out of her pocket and showed it to Rose. "This is my sonic screwdriver. I'm going to use it to seal your wound and then we'll work on your memories, alright?"

"That sounds mad but go ahead," Rose said. She had no doubt that she and this woman were friends. It was just her style to befriend someone both gorgeous and mad as a hatter.

"Haven't lost your sense of adventure then, Rose Tyler," the Doctor quipped with a smile, holding the screwdriver close to her temple and activating it.

"Guess not." She bit down on her lip as the odd sound vibrated through the room. "So, you think I'm going to get my memories back, yeah?"

The Doctor hesitated a moment too long before answering. "I hope you will, Rose. I will do everything I can to make sure that you regain them and I can assure you that I can do a lot."

"But you can't promise anything." It wasn't a question.

The Doctor's lips were pressed into a thin, unhappy line. "I'm sorry. The human mind is a finicky thing."

"S'okay. I'm sure we'll work things out." Rose felt weirdly calm. She knew she should be panicking about her lost memories but she wasn't.

The sonic screwdriver shut off and Rose looked up to meet the Doctor's eyes and found them bright and incredulous. "How can you trust me like that when you don't even remember who I am?"

Rose considered for a moment. It felt almost instinctive, like trusting the Doctor was a part of _her_ not something that sprung from her missing memories. "I don't know, but I do. That alright?"

The Doctor cupped her cheek again, this time out of affection instead of medical necessity. "It is more than alright, Rose Tyler."

Rose fought back a shiver at the emotion the Doctor packed into the three syllables of her name. "Can I sit up now?"

"Slowly," the Doctor said, shifting to support Rose with a hand to the back as she sat up. "The wounds closed up. Shouldn't even have a scar to show for all of this."

"Bit of a headache, though," she said. "You got any paracetamol or anything?"

"In the medbay, which is where we're going as soon as you think you can stand," she answered. "Considering how much the TARDIS likes you and has been humming worriedly at me this whole time, I would guess she's moved it just outside of the console room."

"You know you sound mad, right?"

The Doctor smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's just because you don't remember yet."

"No, I have a feeling you always sound rather mad. It's a bit charming though." She aimed her own smile at the Doctor, letting her tongue peek out at the corner.

"Now I think you might be the mad one," the Doctor shot back. "Up we go. Time to get you sorted and start answering all the questions I know you've got burning in that brain of yours."

Rose let the Doctor help her to her feet, then slid her fingers into the spaces between the Doctor's. It felt right, like it was something they did often. She let her lead her towards one of the doors leading out of the room they were in.

"Maybe if we can get my brain doing what it's supposed to, I won't have to pepper you with questions."

"Rose, I can promise you that you are always peppering me with questions whether you have your memories or not."

"Rude," she chided.

The Doctor laughed and Rose felt something in her heart lighten. She didn't know what was going to happen, didn't even know what had happened at the moment, didn't know much of anything really, but she knew that she and the Doctor were going to make it through this.


End file.
